Low bone mass--assessing absolute fracture risk and the need to treat younger postmenopausal women.

The need to initiate treatment for a postmenopausal woman with a low bone mass should be based on that individual's fracture risk over a fnite period of time. Fracture assessment tools, such as the recently introduced FRAX(TM) model, allows the clinician to estimate an individual's absolute fracture risk over the next decade of their life. Such estimates are particularly useful for younger postmenopausal females with bone density values in the osteopenic range. Fracture risk increases with age and is inversely related to bone mineral density values. A history of previous fracture after the age of 45 and within 10 years of assessment increases subsequent fracture risk.